Archaeologists have determined that an early Homo sapiens man who lived about 100,000 years ago was struck in the face with a sharp stone tool and later buried in a cave in what is now Israel. New analysis of this skeleton from Qafzeh Cave provides what researchers say is the earliest known evidence outside Africa for interpersonal violence involving a cutting tool.
Cut Mark on the Jaw and Signs of Healing
In a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, an international research team used micro-CT scanning to examine the cranium and mandible of an individual deliberately buried in Qafzeh Cave during the Middle Paleolithic. The adult male skeleton, known as Qafzeh 25, bears a distinct cut mark on the left side of the lower jaw that also affects the teeth and part of the upper jaw. Evidence of bone healing around the injury shows that the man survived for a significant period after the attack.
A Right-Handed Attacker?
The location of the wound on the left side of the face strengthens the interpretation that this was not an accident but an intentional act of violence. Modern forensic studies indicate that in face-to-face confrontations, right-handed assailants most often strike the left side of an opponent's face. Sharp flint points found in the cave are thought to offer clues to the type of weapon that could have caused the injury.
Out of Africa and Complex Social Behavior
Qafzeh Cave is regarded as one of the key sites demonstrating that early humans were intentionally burying their dead. The finds from the area are crucial for understanding the earliest dispersals of anatomically modern humans beyond Africa [1]. They suggest that the first groups leaving Africa were not only migrating but also practicing complex social behaviors such as care for the injured, funerary rituals and, unfortunately, interpersonal violence [2]. This discovery sheds light on the origins of social relationships and patterns of conflict that emerged as human communities evolved [3].
Sources and further reading
- [1] The first human remains outside of Africa have been found in the ...
- [2] Ancient Landscape Reveals Bones of Humans Who Lived 100,000 Years Ago : ScienceAlert
- [3] Controversial evidence suggests another human species reached ...
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